


Patience is in the Eye of the Beholder

by TinyLlama



Series: FFXV Uni AU [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Age Difference, Confident!Prompto, M/M, Manhandling, Older!Noct, Older!Prompto, Size Difference, Teacher/Student, University AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 11:16:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14079702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyLlama/pseuds/TinyLlama
Summary: Gladio was all set on watching Ignis dance around and flirt with his Professor Caelum from the sidelines, but a certain blond just had to go ruin in plans by being all talented and adorable.Adventures of university professor friends Noctis and Prompto and university student friends Ignis and Gladio. The Promptio counterpart to the Ignoct in A Lesson in Patience. You probably don't need to read that to get this, but it'll probably help. I honestly have no idea lol





	Patience is in the Eye of the Beholder

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Raufnir, who's not only my lovely beta and writing sensei, but also was the main motivation behind me getting this done. Thank you so, so much! <3
> 
> Also a huge shout out to Ali for helping me get this series started. Yay! Screaming friends!

It didn’t take much to find out that Ignis’ Professor Caelum was best friends with some energetic blond from the arts department. A little snooping around the history building even had Gladio catching sight of the two eating lunch the Monday, after unofficially meeting the his friend’s professor and, being a good, dedicated friend, he of course had to look into it. 

It was easy to pinpoint the blond in question once he started browsing the list of arts staff on the university website. Prompto Argentum. How  _ anyone _ who looked all about eighteen was a professor, with multiple photography awards and accolades at that, was entirely beyond him. And when he signed up for an intro to photography class as an late add, he didn’t even try to convince himself that he had no ulterior motives. Sure, it’s for info-gathering to help Ignis with his professor problem, but damn it if he can’t admire and ogle this Prompto Argentum at the same time. 

He was not going to fall into the same trap as Ignis. Nope.

Well fuck.

 

~~

 

While most of the staff shy away from the intro classes, Prompto actually loves his Photography 101 class. There’s not much to lecture on in a 101 class which leaves the bulk of each three hour period on Wednesdays and Fridays as hands-on time, Prompto’s favorite form of learning. And while it may always be filled with fresh eyed first years, lazy seniors, and girls that always seem to have a crush on him, it’s  _ fun _ . He’s never failed to trick his students into learning something and unlike in his more advanced classes, none of these students are particularly intense or take themselves too seriously. 

So when a walking gym ad barges into class right as the period starts on a Wednesday afternoon, Prompto assumes he’s another late add, lazy senior looking to fullfil his art requirement, and waves him to an empty seat by a few other seniors with smile. It’s really nothing of note until he catches the man  _ staring _ at him, and while it really should have been creepy, the weirdly soft expression on the man’s face has him actually feeling kind of nice. 

Ya, it’s kind of nice having a guy stare at him for once.

 

~~

 

“How do you deal with it, Prom?”

“Deal with what?”

“All those girls crushing on you in your classes?”

“Well, it helps that I have no interest in them. Unlike you, who’s very clearly into he-who-shall-not-be-named’s ass.” Prompto outright giggles, but it’s true on both accounts. Noctis definitely wants to bang Ignis, and the one and only girl Prompto has ever been into was a mechanic who was more interested in cars than any men.

“Ugh. It’s not fair.”

“You’ll survive.Come on, eat your muffin. It’ll make you feel better.” Clapping Noctis on the back, Prompto grabs a muffin himself before getting on with his story. “Okay, get this. Last week Gladio asked how you and I met . Told him we’ve been buddies since high school and he gave me that look.”

“That funny one where you can’t decide if he’s hardcore judging you or checking you out?” Noctis peels back the wrapping on his muffin and shoots him a concerned look

“Mhmm. Yup. But! I confirmed for you that your Ignis is absolutely, totally, definitely very gay and very single.”

“Oh…”

“You’re welcome buddy. You’re welcome. Who’s got your back? Me. Prompto’s got your back.”

 

~~

 

Prompto has come to accept the fact that Gladio is definitely working to get information about Noctis from him, but he really can’t make himself care. Not when he gets information back and learns about his overly-engaged senior at the same time. He’s learned that contrary to his looks, Gladio enjoys reading and not just any reading. Philosophy. Fancy. He’s also noticed that contrary to his bulkiness, Gladio is remarkably gentle and careful with his hands. While the tiny freshmen girls have all fucked up their film in one way or another, Gladio has yet to make a mistake. 

“Yo prof, got a minute?” 

“Sure! Once sec.” 

“Can you give me your opinion between these two? I can’t decide which one to print.”

As Prompto takes the magnifying loupe from Gladio and leans over to look at his negatives, he can feel the heat radiate off the man from the closeness. God, Gladio is huge.

“Ah...the one on the right is framed better and there’s a slightly better use of negative space so I’d go with that one.”

“Thanks, prof. I’ve got a pretty shitty eye for this kind of stuff, but I think I’m getting better.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Prompto somehow manages not to squeak when Gladio’s hand almost literally eats his own on the way to taking the loupe back.

Jesus fucking Christ, he wants those hands to grab him so badly. In  _ all  _ the inappropriate ways.

Guess he has his very own version of Noct’s problem now.

 

~~

 

Gladio isn’t exactly sure why he doesn’t tell Ignis about his own growing professor crush, but every time he tries, the timing just doesn’t seem right. His friend also seems stressed enough about his own problem, so he leaves his developing feelings unsaid, opting to just sigh like a schoolgirl at how smart and caring and _ downright adorable _ his professor is. Upon first impression, he had thought Prompto would be an airhead hippy, but oh how wrong he was. The man knows his shit and has an unbelievably patient and optimistic attitude to boot. So much so that the other shit-head seniors in class literally can’t even give him flack about it. No wonder all the girls in class crush on him, it probably helps that he looks their age too.

Catching himself midway through another sigh, Gladio fakes a cough to cover it up and glances over at Ignis. His friend is thankfully too engrossed in his own thoughts, chopping vegetables with that far away look that can only mean one thing. Noctis fantasies. He would have never heard the end of it otherwise.

 

~~

 

“Prof! I’m outta hands. Help?” Gladio’s the only one left on a Friday afternoon, still working on developing his film since unlike everyone else, he took an entire extra roll of shots. It’s as if he was trying to spend more time with a certain blond.

“Hahaha Gladio...haha...what are you doing?”

“Stop laughing and help before I drop this and fail your class!”

Prompto grabs his camera and snaps a shot of Gladio drowning in film, tattooed arms displayed in their full glory before going over to lend the man a hand. “This is why you don’t take the entire roll out of the bath at once.”

“Ya, ya. Or maybe I just wanted you to come help me.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Cheeky seniors.” Prompto rolls his eyes, but his smile gives him away.

 

~~

 

Gladio’s used to being larger than most of his lovers, but something about Prompto really makes him want to slam his professor up against the nearest vertical surface and see if he’s as good at taking cock as his appears to be.

“Oh em gee! Prof! That’s the worst imitation of ‘Shake It Off’ I’ve ever seen!”

Gladio has no idea what this girl is talking about because their professor is shaking his ass  _ perfectly. _

“Haters gonna hate.” Prompto’s laugh could cure cancer, he’s convinced.

“Alright, alright. Now that I’ve indulged you lot. Back to work. I want everyone’s first set of prints developed and hanging to dry by the end of the hour!”

Oh right, he’s supposed to be working on his midterm project. He isn’t just here to bask in the ray of sunshine that is Prompto Argentum as his talented ass.

 

~~

 

The ass shaking was totally a low blow, but the look he got from Gladio was absolutely worth it, and Prompto has no regrets as he enjoys an entire Saturday of imagining those eyes while making full use of his entire toy collection.

He doesn’t even feel bad when Noctis comes over with pizza that night and complains that it smells like sex.

“You can’t honestly tell me you’re any better.”

He definitely wins that one when he’s met with a mumbled shut up and a pizza box thrust into his hands.

 

~~

 

It’s as he’s working on part two of his midterm project that Gladio lets slip his crush on Prompto to Ignis.

“Honestly, Gladio. My preoccupation with my professor hasn’t made me completely dumb. Of course you like him. I also know that you can’t help but fall a little bit in love with everyone you fuck. Now the question is:  do you want him for more than just a fuck.”

It’s kind of infuriating how well Ignis knows him, and half snarling, Gladio distracts himself by looking for that perfect angle as they continue to tromp around the city alleyways.

“I’ll take that as a tentative yes. Just don’t do anything you’d regret before the semester is over. I do not want to stand as your character witness should the university bring up expulsion.”

“Ya, ya…” Gladio stops them to grab a shot of a passing stray cat. “Thanks Iggy.”

“Of course.”

 

~~

 

Unlike courses that have a midterm exam, Photography 101 has a project, which gives Prompto a full week off teaching to grade said projects. That also means that his students are scrambling weeks before Noctis’ are, and that absolutely means Gladio is in the studio later than any of his other students. In fact, he’d even go far as to say that Gladio is there more often than anyone, even among his more advanced students. 

“Gladio, go home. It’s a Friday night, you should be out with your friends. I mean, not that I don’t love how seriously you’re taking my class, but it’s a 101 class, dude. I’m sure your photos are fine.” Prompto’s leaning on Gladio’s bench with his head in his hands, watching the man fuss over a shadow of some dirt that’s made it onto one of his prints.

“One more. I’m just gonna try this one more time, prof.” He’s not trying to impress the blond, definitely not.

“Alright, come on, I’ll unlock the dark room for you.”

Gladio’s print comes out perfectly and as he clips it onto the line to dry, he catches sight of Prompto’s proud smile and that little excited hand thing he does. He’s really too tired for this, all this beating around the bush business. Rules be damned. “Hey prof…”

“You really got it perfect! I mean, we won’t be able to see how the exposure turned out until it’s in normal light, but it looks pretty damn good to my trained eyes!” Prompto turns to Gladio and throws his arms around the man in a congratulatory hug, only realizing his invasion of person space after his hands have around made it around.

The hug breaks whatever resolve he had left and Gladio hugs back for a moment before bending down and taking Prompto’s stupidly adorable face between his hands to kiss him square on the lips. “Hey prof. I was saying. I like you. A lot, I reckon. And I know you like me enough to flirt back. And I’ve been fantasizing about fucking you for weeks now. So...I won’t tell if you won’t, and let’s see where this takes us?”

Prompto is stunned into a sort of stupor, hands clinging to the thin shirt on Gladio’s back and face stuck in a look of happy disbelief. Gladio’s hands could cover his entire head, but they’re holding his face so tenderly that he almost wants to cry. Nodding, he too throws caution to the wind and loops his arms around Gladio’s neck to jump up and wrap his legs around the larger man. “Yes. Absolutely. Fuck me.”

The sudden added weight leaves him stumbling forward a few steps, but Prompto is plenty light and once steady, Gladio cups the back of his professor’s head and takes a few more steps to slam him up against the door. “God, prof. I was hoping you’d be a kinky little shit.”

“You have no idea,” Prompto offers a smirk and pushes back against the wall to roll his hips down into Gladio’s crotch. “Call me Prompto. There’s lotion somewhere in here so you can use that. We have to be quiet, but I promise I won’t break.” He can tell Gladio is a good fuck already, with the way he cradles his head protectively and before Gladio has a chance to answer, he lunges forward to kiss the man again, tongue seeking entrance by sweeping over deceptively soft lips. The younger man doesn’t hesitate for a moment and tongues tangling, they kiss like horny teenagers: messy, exploratory, and fueled by weeks of sexual tension.

Prompto belatedly realizes that he’ll need to come down to get his pants off, but for the time being, continues to grind down into Gladio’s growing bulge all while moaning softly and happily into their kiss. When the younger man growls and pushes him harder against the wall to grind back into his ass, he deems it a mission accomplished.

“For a while there...I figured you were painfully straight...but then you kept  _ looking _ ...ahh...at me...” Prompto gasps the words out between kisses, a half moan interrupting him as Gladio starts kissing down his neck, lips soft and beard rough. It’s the contrast that gets him and he tugs at the surprisingly soft mane that the man keeps, the long strands perfect for tangling his fingers into as he squirms half involuntarily against the wall.

“I’m not one to discriminate,  _ Prompto.” _ The name just feels right on his lips and sucking into a spot under Prompto’s ear, he mumbles it again and again. “Mmm...Prompto...Promp-to.”

His name is spoken like a whispered sin, Gladio’s voice all deeply rich and smooth like honey. Maybe asking the man to call him by his name was a bad idea, but the breathy, drawn out moan that fills the air tells an entirely different story.

Gladio keeps cradling Prompto’s head with one hand, but needing more skin contact, moves the hand under the blond’s ass to pull at his jeans. For a professor in his thirties, Prompto is more fashionable than he’ll ever be and Gladio very nearly rips the tattered, tight jeans around the older man’s hips in his fervor.

Prompto wraps his arms tighter around Gladio’s neck when the support under his ass disappears, but before he can voice any sort of complaint, there’s a very large and very hot hand reaching down the front of his pants. In all honesty, he’s entirely too weak to handjobs, blowjobs, and really anything involving his cock. Maybe that’s why he generally likes being on the receiving end, the pleasure lasting longer and being less unbearably good. “Gladio…!”

Prompto whimpers into Gladio’s neck when he twists his hand around the smaller man’s cock and for a moment, Gladio worries that he might have gone too far. Before he can stop though, the blond latches onto his neck and the length in his hand throbs with a fresh gush of precum. Using the added wetness to aid his stroking, he purrs into Prompto’s neck and licks up the shell of his ear. “You’re so sensitive...and you feel like you were made for my hand…” And it’s absolutely true, Prompto’s cock is a good size, thicker than he had imagined and straight as an arrow. Just the way he likes it.

Feeling like he’s about to come embarrassingly fast, Prompto arches into the wall and pulls at Gladio’s hair until the man stops his too good kisses and looks at him. Maybe it’s the forbidden romance angle, or maybe it’s the dim red lightning of the darkroom, but Gladio looks stunningly  _ beautiful, _ eyes blown dark from desire, and jerking into the man’s hand, he’s hovers precariously on the edge of his release. “Gla-”

He feels marginally bad for interrupting Prompto just when the blond looked like he was going to offer him the world, but the shuffle of someone outside had him leaping into action. The hand that had been on Prompto’s cock is now covering half of his professor’s face and leaning back in, Gladio whispers and listens. “Shh.”

“Professor? Hello? Anyone here?”

Locking eyes with Prompto who’s still breathing heavily against his hand, he flicks his eyes down to the blond’s still very hard cock with a smirk and calls out to the stranger on the other side of the door.

“Prof went out to grab some dinner, I think. I’m just developing a few last minute photos for my midterm.”

“Oh, that’s alright then, I’ll just come back on Monday.”

“Have a good weekend, stranger!”

“You too!”

It’s probably for the best that they were interrupted because now that the arousal fades from the sudden shot of adrenaline, the idea of having sex with your professor while still  _ on campus _ suddenly seems like  _ the worst  _ idea he’s ever had.

Prompto squirms behind Gladio’s hand once he hears the footsteps fade and the door to the studio click shut, nearly making himself fall in the process, but Gladio pulls his hand away with a bashful, sweet sort of smile and places him back on his feet. It’s too bad the mood is broken now: almost getting caught is definitely one of his kinks.

“So yeah…”

Ignoring the fact that his cock is very unhappy with this turn of events, Prompto shoves himself back into his pants and grabs Gladio’s hand before the younger man can say anything more.

“What do you say? Yolo? Come over to my place tonight and let’s continue this.” Prompto offers a smile and a borderline comical wink before grabbing a pen to scrawl his phone and address into the non tattooed spaces on Gladio’s arm. “I’m going to grab dinner as you said I was doing, and I’ll see you at my place in a hour?”

Gladio’s a little dumbfounded, but nods and swallows the lump in his throat to mutter a quiet “ya,” before Prompto skips off without another word. This must be the sort of confidence you get as you get older. Or maybe it’s just a Prompto thing.

 

~~

 

It turns out Prompto lives not too far off campus in a cozy walk up near little Italy and Gladio finds himself knocking on the front door with just himself and no literally plan. No overnight bag, no condoms, no lube. He really is an idiot.

The door opens to Prompto in nothing but an oversized shirt that falls down to mid thigh and the blond pulls him inside before any words are even exchanged. Gladio has just enough time to notice the take out on the table and very a comfy looking bean bag in front of the couch before Prompto literally jumps into his arms.

“I like you, you like me, and I don’t think either of us wants this to be a one time thing, but let’s fuck first and talk after? And don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of condoms and lube.” Prompto beams at him with a smile that lights up the whole room, taking the thoughts right out of his brain, and just as that innocent smile turn mischievous, he smirks back and pushes Prompto up against the nearest free wall.

 

~~

 

Gladio is as strong as he looks, but also as gentle as he’d seen in the studio and between tender kisses, the man fucks him against the wall, over the couch,  _ and _ into the mattress. Prompto really couldn’t have asked for a better lay and that’s not to even mentioning that glorious cock. Gladio is large, but not overly so, just barely bigger than his largest dildo and precisely long and thick enough to fill him in all the right ways. “Ahh...nnghh...harder hahh...fuck!” He’ll have to put his mouth to it some other time.

Face pushed into the mattress and hands pulling at the sheets, Prompto writhes and moans unabashedly as Gladio drills into him from behind. He’s on his knees and with one massive hand holding him down between the shoulderblades and the other gripping his hip. Utterly manhandled and he wouldn’t have it any over way. With no leverage to do anything but moan and take it, he half screams into the mattress when he comes for the second time that night and Gladio fucks him straight through his orgasm before joining him in post coital stupor.

 

~~

 

They both came twice that night and now sprawled out on his mattress covered in sweat and cum, Gladio still can’t find a single thing to complain about. Sure, the whole thing is risky and unethical, but he really couldn’t give two flying fucks about it. He knows Prompto won’t be giving him a good grade just for something like this, so his conscience is clear.

The blond in question is half lying on his chest with a little fucked-out smile plastered on his face, legs still twitching from the pounding he took. The man wasn’t kidding when he said he could take it. Prompto still looks far younger than his age, perhaps even more so post-fucking despite the faint smile lines that Gladio can now see up close. 

Running a hand through the sweat-damp hair, Gladio smiles and hugs the blond closer, taking a deep breath that lifts Prompto a good two inches before finally breaking the silence. “So. How do you feel about secretly dating me, prof? ‘Cause I’d sure like to secretly date you.”

“Sorry, Prompto is unavailable right now. Cock overload. But I’m sure if you ask again in the morning, the answer will be good.”

“And you say I’m the cheeky one.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading and as always, kudos are comments are greatly appreciated! <3 <3 <3


End file.
